I have friends, like the Argentine producer Fer Isella, who consider Largo Mehldau's best album. I do not. Viewed nearly eight years after its release, it seems like a necessary experiment that helped Mehldau grow as a composer and improviser, but it's a frustratingly hodge-podge album. That's why I'm anticipating Mehldau's upcoming release, Highway Rider (March 16), with guarded enthusiasm. Highway Rider reunites Mehldau and Brion in a heavily-produced orchestral affair, although this time around there are more promising signs: most notably, the presence of saxophonist Joshua Redman. Nonesuch has released an EPK to promote Highway Rider, and while it doesn't give away much of the music, the little it does, leaves me optimistic:
(via Nate Chinen, Nextbop, and Nonesuch)